Discovery of Hepatitis E and Its Impact on Global Health: A Journey of 44 Years about an Incredible Human-Interest Story.

The story of the discovery of hepatitis E originated in the late 1970s with my extreme belief that there was a hidden saga in the relationship between jaundice and pregnancy in developing countries and the opportunity for a massive epidemic of viral hepatitis, which hit the Gulmarg Kashmir region in November 1978. Based on data collected from a door-to-door survey, the existence of a new disease, epidemic non-A, non-B hepatitis, caused by a hitherto unknown hepatitis virus, was announced. This news was received by the world community with hype and skepticism.

Hepatitis E and Pregnancy: An Unholy Alliance Unmasked from Kashmir, India.

The adverse relationship between viral hepatitis and pregnancy in developing countries had been interpreted as a reflection of retrospectively biased hospital-based data collection by the West. However, the discovery of hepatitis E virus (HEV) as the etiological agent of an epidemic of non-A, non-B hepatitis in Kashmir, and the documenting of the increased incidence and severity of hepatitis E in pregnancy via a house-to-house survey, unmasked this unholy alliance. In the family, HEV-genotype (gt)1 from genus A has a unique open reading frame (ORF)4-encoded protein which enhances viral polymerase activity and viral replication.

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Facts, fiction and the hype: a critical appraisal.

The coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has turned into a global catastrophe and there is an intense search for effective drug therapy. Of all the potential therapies, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have been the focus of tremendous public attention. Both drugs have been used in the treatment and prophylaxis of malaria.

Diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care tests for hepatitis C virus infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Point-of-care tests provide a plausible diagnostic strategy for hepatitis C infection in economically impoverished areas. However, their utility depends upon the overall performance of individual tests.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using the metasearch engine Mettā, a query interface for retrieving articles from five leading medical databases.

Discovery of hepatitis E: the epidemic non-A, non-B hepatitis 30 years down the memory lane.

Hepatitis E was first recognised during an epidemic of hepatitis, which occurred in Kashmir Valley in 1978. The epidemic involved an estimated 52,000 cases of icteric hepatitis with 1700 deaths. The disease had unique clinical and epidemiological features.

Erratum to: Seroepidemiology of a second epidemic of hepatitis E in a population that had recorded first epidemic 30 years before and has been under surveillance since then.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s12072-009-9159-5.].

Seroepidemiology of a second epidemic of hepatitis E in a population that had recorded first epidemic 30 years before and has been under surveillance since then.

Purpose: Large-scale waterborne epidemics of hepatitis E occur in developing countries. It is not known why these epidemics occur repeatedly and selectively in adult population?

Methods: We studied seroepidemiology of an outbreak of hepatitis E in one of 15 villages that had recorded first epidemic of hepatitis E 30 years back. Another village not affected by the second epidemic was taken as a control.

Treatment of type I gastric neuroendocrine tumors with somatostatin analogs.

Background And Aim: There are limited data on response and long-term follow-up of octreotide therapy in type-I gastric neuroendocrine tumors. The objective of the present study was to assess the response of type-I gastric neuroendocrine tumors to octreotide-long acting, repeatable (LAR) therapy and evaluate long-term follow up of such patients after therapy.

Methods: Three patients with documented type-I gastric neuroendocrine tumors from a tertiary gastroenterology centre were studied.

Anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union in tropical calcific pancreatitis.

Context: Tropical calcific pancreatitis is unique to developing countries with of unknown origin.

Objective: We evaluated the pattern of pancreaticobiliary ductal union in patients with tropical calcific pancreatitis.

Patients: Twenty-one patients with tropical calcific pancreatitis were compared to 174 control subjects with no pancreaticobiliary disease and 35 patients with alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis.

Budd-Chiari syndrome: long-term effect on outcome with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt.

Background: The long-term outcome of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) is not well studied. To address this, the records of 47 consecutive patients with BCS evaluated in one center from January 1989 to April 2004, were analyzed.

Results: Seven patients with liver tumors were excluded from analyses.

Hepatitis E virus infection may be transmitted through blood transfusions in an endemic area.

Aim: To address the issue of whether or not hepatitis E virus (HEV) is transmitted parenterally.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study which involved 145 multiple transfused patients and 250 healthy controls. A prospective study was also undertaken involving 50 hospitalized patients, 25 of whom were transfused with 107 blood units, while the other 25 did not receive any transfusions.

Viral hepatitis in international travellers: risks and prevention.

Viral hepatitis is caused by a number of unrelated hepatotrophic viruses, known and unknown. Five hepatitis viruses namely HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV and HEV have been well characterized and the epidemiology and disease pattern of each agent has been defined. In the West, HAV, HBV and HCV are major causes of viral hepatitis.